Cacopsylla initialis ( Loginova, 1966 ), 2022

Lashkari, Mohammadreza & Mansouri, Seyed Mozaffar, 2025, New records of jumping plant lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Iran, Zootaxa 5727 (1), pp. 198-207 : 203-206

Cacopsylla initialis ( Loginova, 1966)

( Figs 16−27 )

Psylla initialis Loginova, 1966: 21 .

Cacopsylla initialis ; Cho et al. (2022: 46) .

Material examined. Iran: 6 ♂, 10 ♀, Tehran, Shemshak , N 36°1’15”, E 51°29’3”, 2709 m, 16.ix.2022, Salix sp. , M. Lashkari leg.

Redescription. Adult. Colour. Body yellowish orange ( Figs 16−17 ). Forewing transparent; apical half uniformly yellowish; costal and radial cells always colorless; veins dirty yellow ( Figs 18−19 ). Antenna yellowish; segment 8 dark apically; segments 9 and 10 entirely black ( Fig. 20 ). Genal processes yellow with dirty yellow apex. Eyes grey and ocelli orange ( Fig. 21 ). Pronotum yellow; mesopraescutum with white mid-line; mesoscutum yellow with four longitudinal light brown stripes. Legs yellow; apical tarsal segments dirty yellow. Terminalia dirty yellow; tip of parameres black; proctiger dirty yellow; tip of female proctiger brown.

Structure. Head approximately as wide as thorax. Vertex 0.4‒0.5 times as long as broad. Genal processes as long as vertex along mid-line; axes subparallel; subacute apically; straight along the inner edge; concave along to the outside; with long setae ( Fig. 21 ). Antenna 10-segmented; 1.2‒1.4 times head width ( Fig. 20 ). Thorax moderately arched. Metatibia 0.6–0.7 times as long as head width with small basal spine and five sclerotised apical spurs. Metabasitarsus with two lateral sclerotised spurs. Forewings membranous; oblong-oval; 2.6‒2.9 times as long as broad; 3.3‒3.6 times as long as head width; pterostigma long and narrow, about one quarter the width of cell r, ending above an apical quarter of vein Rs; entire membrane of forewings covered with dense surface spinules except for narrow stripes along the veins; cell cu1 longer than high ( Figs 18‒19 ). Hindwings membranous, shorter than forewings.

Male terminalia as in Figs 22‒26 . Male proctiger simple; hairy except at the base; weakly sinuous; 0.4‒0.5 times as long as head width. Male subgenital plate subglobular. Parameres slender; shorter than proctiger; about two-thirds of proctiger length; 0.3 times as long as head width; narrowing gradually to apex; apex with a small sclerotised rectangular tooth, facing backward; posterior margin, near the middle, slightly bent; anterior margin convex at the middle with sparse long fine setae; outer and inner outlines forming an elongated O in the rearview; inner and outer surface covered with long fine setae. Distal portion of aedeagus relatively short; 0.9 times as long as parameres length, with sickle-shaped apical dilatation.

Female terminalia as in Fig. 27 . Female proctiger, in lateral view, relatively long with almost straight dorsal margin and narrowly rounded apex; 0.9–1.0 times as long as head width; 5.0–5.5 times as long as circumanal ring; 1.3–1.35 times as long as subgenital plate; basal half of proctiger covered with sparse short setae; apical half covered with dense conical peg-like setae and several long setae. Circumanal ring small; composed of two rows of pores surrounded by short setae. Female subgenital plate, in lateral view, subacute apically; covered with sparse relatively long setae in apical two-thirds ventrally, and sparse shorter setae laterally, and dense conical peg-like setae apically. Dorsal valvulae smooth; ventral valvulae with a small sclerotised tooth apically.

Measurements (in mm): Adult: (n = 5 ♂, 5 ♀): Head width 0.72–0.75; vertex length 0.48–0.50, vertex width 0.20–0.22; genal processes 0.19–0.20; antenna length 1.10–1.20; forewing length 2.50–2.60; forewing width 1.00– 1.10; male proctiger length 0.45–0.48; paramere length 0.30–0.34; length of distal segment of aedeagus 0.27–0.30; female proctiger length 0.8–0.84.

Immature. Unknown.

Distribution. Armenia ( Loginova 1966) and Iran ( new record).

Host plant. Adults were found on Salix sp. , a likely host ( Loginova 1966; Cho et al. 2022; present paper).

Comment.

The simple parameres of C. initialis are similar to Cacopsylla abdominalis ( Meyer-Dür, 1871) and Cacopsylla ambigua ( Foerster, 1848) , but, a more thorough analysis of its structures reveals that it is a member of the iteophila group as defined by Loginova (1967). The parameres of C. initialis are slightly bent at the posterior margin, the apex of the parameres is rounded and ends with a projection facing backward rather than forward (it is forward in the species of the ambigua group).

The parameres of C. initialis also resemble closely to those of Psylla praevia Loginova, 1964 , a species reported from Kazakhstan (Karaganda Region), but differ in a smaller apical projection and also the absence of a posterior apical lobe. Moreover, the forewings of P. praevia are evenly rounded at the apex, but not beveled as in C. initialis . A good description of Psylla praevia is provided by Loginova (1964). The morphological similarity suggests that P. praevia and C. initialis are congeneric, and, therefore, we propose here the following new combination: Cacopsylla praevia ( Loginova, 1964) , comb. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 16‒21. Cacopsylla initialis: 16–17. Habitus of male and female, respectively; 18–19. Male and female forewing, respectively; 20. Antennal segments VIII, IX and X and terminal setae; 21. Head, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1–4, 6: 0.5 mm; 5: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 22‒25. Cacopsylla initialis: 22. Male terminalia, lateral view; 23. Parameres, lateral view; 24. Male terminalia, posterior view; 25. Apices of the parameres, poster-lateral view.

FIGURES 26‒27. Cacopsylla initialis: 26. Distal segment of aedeagus, lateral view; 27. Female terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.